A Pirate's Life For Me
by Kida-Motou
Summary: The Captain of the Red Haired Pirates comes into contact with a beautiful ex-pirate girl. What lies in store for the restless ocean of their hearts?
1. Chapter 1

"Cap'n! Cap'n Shanks?"

The red haired man blinked a few times, coming to after his fitful daydream. "Huh? What?" His shipmates groaned in response. The captain was a good man, but he was just too relaxed sometimes. And he always daydreamed, whether it was the middle of a furious storm or inside a local pub. Sometimes, the crew just wanted to find out what was so great to always drift away to.

"Sir, your meal's been sittin' in front of you for near twenty minutes now!"

Shanks shook his head a bit as his stomach growled in reply to the information. He laughed good heartedly, picking up a fork and chowing down on the feast set before him. A smile crossed his face as he imagined it, a new land to be discovered by his crew and himself. Never before had they been to the tiny island, and so far, they had been treated with a great respect. 'Well...maybe not respect, but at least they hadn't drawn pitchforks and guns' he thought with an amused grin. After a few minutes, he was back to his good-natured self, commenting to his closest crewmates about the land. "Oy, this is a grand island. I mean, just look around! Good food, good view, and best of all...Good Grog!" With a cheer from his mates, they clanked the giant mugs together and took a long, drawn out chug.

Before long, Shanks was leaned back in his seat when something caught his eye. A finely toned back with long white hair that would normally be concealing such beauty from behind, but was instead hiked into a rather messy ponytail atop her head. A few of his crewmates followed their captain's stare as he murmured, "Talk about a good view..."

She leaned across the table, slamming down an empty mug, and pointing at her friend. "13 in four minutes, and that's a new record!" Her friend grumbled slightly, still cradling a half full mug.

"How exactly is it that you can drink that much on an empty stomach at 11 in the morning?"

"What can I say, love? I'm a talented woman." She smirked as she pushed the longest bits of her bangs behind her ears, exposing numerous earrings around them. Adjusting her shirt, which had moved up slightly in the vigorous chugging, her eyes fell upon a new mug of grog set down in front of her by the waitress. "What's this?" she asked, looking up at the rather large waitress, "You giving ones on the house now?"

The waitress put her hand on her flabby hip, glaring down at the troublesome girl and her friend. "The red haired gentleman behind you sends his compliments." She turned quickly and rushed back to the kitchen.

Her friend's eyes widening, she looked over the mug then back up to the white haired girl. "Want me to-?" The brown haired girl asked, gesturing behind the other. Without a reply, the white haired girl glanced over her shoulder at the grinning man, and a smile crossed her mouth as she looked back towards her mousy looking friend.

"Not too shabby lookin', is he?"

"Not at all." Her friend sighed softly. "What, they can't wait anymore until past noon?"

"What, and let this vixen of a woman get past me? I think not!"

The white haired woman looked upside down at the captain standing behind her, and she smiled. "Finally got enough courage to come over here? That must have taken a lot, with an entire crew cheering you on, sir," she drawled, a peculiar accent seeping from between her strawberry lips. With nothing left to say, she turned back to her friend until she heard a chair being pulled out from behind her.

He smirked, having a seat behind her and leaned his elbows on his knees. "What is there to say, love. Secretly, you knew you wanted me to come over here and have a drink with yourself. Oy, where're my manners. Captain Shanks is the name."

"Vitani Kida, Captain Shanks." She smirked as he took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles. As her eyes met his, another great smile crept across her face, although it was no match to his.

"Absolutely lovely to meet you, kid." He grinned, almost bursting with charm, gracing her with a nickname that he felt was very suiting. While she must have been close to 21 years of age, the playful gleam in her eyes was like that of a child. Standing, he leaned down again to whisper in her ear. "If you think that 13 in four is good time, come to the pub tonight around 10, and we'll see how strong your stomach truly is." He took notice of her front as he bent over her with great appreciation, before announcing to his crew that the time to eat was over, and that their ship needed swabbing.

As the joyous crew left the cafe, she leaned over to her friend and smiled. "Hmm...I might have to take him up on that offer."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kida. That's Captain Red-Haired Shanks! Haven't you ever heard of him?"

"Of course not, but..." she smiled, glancing over her shoulder at where he had exited. "I think I'm willing to find out." Her dark eyes returned back to the serious eyes of her friend. "Don't worry so much, Nova. I've been on pirate ships my whole life, ya know? I think I can tell a good pirate from a bad one."

The older girl picked up her tea and sipped it slowly, closing her eyes. "You can, Kida...but usually not until about two months too late."

Kida leaned back in her seat and smiled, thinking about the coy smile of Shanks. 'I'm hardly ever off that much, Nova.' she thought, drifting off into a daydream of her own. 'Well...maybe not, but I have a good feeling about this one.'

-----

The night came and went, and it wasn't until two days later that the captain saw a flash of white hair go by him. Rushing over, he subtly walked beside her. "You never came, love. Something off?"

She looked up at him and smiled when she saw a truly worried look in his eyes, hoisting the box that she was carrying on her hip. "I never said that I would, now did I, Captain?" He reached out to take the box from her when she continued on her path. "I'm a big girl, Captain 'Red-Haired' Shanks, and I'm perfectly able to take care of myself."

He frowned, slightly flustered at her hard-to-get attitude, but eventually brushing it aside. "Maybe you'd like to have dinner with me tonight then? My treat."

She smiled and stopped, turning to face him with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps I've already eaten?"

"A walk then? And while I doubt you have already eaten, I will be waiting for you at the restaurant until the time that our walk is set." She sighed with false impatience, shifting her weight from one foot to another.

"You're not one to give up easily, are you, Cap'n?"

A great smile crossed his lips as he held onto his belt buckle, leaning against a post next to her. "Of course not. Now, dinner is at 7 o'clock, and the walk at 9. I hope to see you then, kid." He bowed slightly and made his way down the opposite direction of the street.

-----

'Who am I to turn him down twice?' She wondered, standing outside of the restaurant, hearing Nova's words like a broken record in her head. A sigh escaped her lips as she silently cursed her friend for poisoning her mind. 'It's only been two years since Oran...maybe I should wait a little bit longer...' she reasoned, slowly starting to walk down the street when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Don't see you around these parts much!"

She turned quickly, and nearly jumped when she found a tall man standing behind her, reeking of alcohol. "I would assume not," she told him sternly, "Now why don't you run along and bother someone who you have a chance with...like a dog." She grumbled to him, turning and walking down the same direction when she felt a hand grab her arm and shove her against the wall.

"Now that's just not nice, little lady." The drunk smirked as he leaned over her. "But I'll be nice to you-"

"Oy! What's going on out here!"

Kida and the drunk turned to see a flash of red hair standing before them, a rather terrifying look in his eyes. "I said what's going on out here?"

The drunk stepped back with his hands up in surrender, backing off from the white haired girl. "Sorry, mate. Didn't know she had a brand on her already." He turned and jogged down the street as she lowered the gun from where his stomach was a moment before. Shanks walked over to her and smiled sheepishly.

"Don't suppose you'd want to join me for dinner now, would you?" The fierce protective glow had left his eyes, and the boyish charm had finally recovered in his face as he held out a hand to her.

After a moment's mental debate, the girl looked up at him and smiled, taking his hand and stepping away from the wall, which she had been tossed against. "You know, dinner sounds great right about now."

-----

"You did WHAT!"

Kida sighed at the shock of her friend, rubbing her cheek with her eyes closed. "I don't see why you're all freaked out about it, Nova. It was just dinner and a small walk, nothing happened." She glanced up and made a face at the still shocked expression on Nova's face. "Besides, I already promised him that I would go to the pub with him tonight. And..." Kida's grin spread across her face like wildfire. "I'm sure we could find someone on his crew that's suitable for you. They'll all be there. Come on, Nova! You absolutely have to come with me!"

"And get felt up by drunken pirates while you flirt shamelessly with some popular captain? I think not." Nova opened her book stubbornly and pretended to read it, looking up after a moment at her friend's sullen face. "What makes you think I want to go? Or even that I should try and get together with one of his crew? I AM capable of finding men, Vitani."

A pout rested on Kida's face as she crossed her arms. "No, you're capable of finding bookworms that are more concerned about if their shirts get coffee on them while they whine about the brashness of pirates. Which you should definitely be more offended by, Nova, being that you ARE a pirate."

"A pirate? Hardly. We may have been brought up together on a pirate ship, kid, but I would hardly consider myself a pirate. Not anymore, at least." The brown haired girl took a sip of her drink and sighed, looking up at Kida. "Kida? Are you alright?"

She sat, her slim shoulders shaking slightly, her teeth clenched. Years it had been since that dreadful day, a day that had at first seemed like any other day. Her dark eyes welled with tears as the memories flooded back to her.

---Time Change---

_"You little snot! How dare you steal that gold from me!" A tiny girl ran ahead with lightning speed on the ship, dodging blows from a few of the crew. Although it wasn't worth much, she clung onto a small bag of gold from their last ransacking with a gigantic grin on her face._

_"Hahaha! You can't catch me!" She shouted joyfully, her small chest feeling like it would explode from the feeling of adventure that she had put herself into. Sliding around the corner, she smacked directly into the first mate. "Kori!"_

_The man picked up the girl by the back of her shirt, his other arm still crossed across his chest. "Stealing again, kid? The captain won't be happy with you. You know the rules, no stealing from the crew!" The small girl squirmed in the bear-like grip of the huge man, still clutching onto the bag of gold as the rest of the crew caught up. Kori raised his eyebrow at her as she hugged it tightly to her chest, unwilling to give it up. "No? I guess I'll have to take you to the captain again, kid." He grumbled, still holding her by the back of her shirt as they entered the captain's cabin._

_The tall man sat in his large chair, facing away from the door and the first mate. "What is it, Kori?"_

_Kori held up Kida over the desk of the captain. "Kida has been stealing from the crew again, sir. You told me earlier that should she continue to that I should report it to you."_

_"Set her down on the desk, Kori, and leave us."_

_"Aye, sir."_

_With that, Kori left the shaking Kida upon the captain's desk as she awaited her punishment. As the door closed, the captain turned around to face the young girl. "Kida. Why do you feel it is necessary to cause chaos on this ship? Do I not give you clothes to wear, food to eat? Is it truly that difficult to follow one of the few rules that I laid down for you?" The little girl's face puffed in response to him._

_"You always make me stay under the deck in hiding when everyone else gets to raid ships! And that's not fair! I'm just as good a pirate as anybody else! Why do I have to stay here, Cap'n? Why?"_

_The old man chuckled, patting the little girl on the head. "Perhaps you are, kid. But I don't think that having a ten year old girl assist on my raids would really help our situation would it?" She sighed softly, defeated. He stroked his beard and leaned back in his seat, contemplating something. "I know it's hard, little one, surviving on your own, your mother dying when you were a toddler, and your father a pirate. It's understandable that you want to find him. But how can you find him if you die now?"_

_Her eyes welled with tears as she looked up at him, sighing softly. "Yes, Cap'n."_

_"Good, now that we're in agreement, as punishment, I want you to return all the gold to the crew members you stole it from and apologize. Never steal from a mate, Kida. That's one of the rules of the sea, not just me." She gasped softly at this, thinking of the rules of the sea. "And if you do it again, I will have no choice but to ban you from raids forever."_

_"Aye, sir!" She saluted him, jumping to her feet. "I won't steal anymore, sir! I swear it!" With that, she ran out the door towards the crewmates._

_Later that day, the Scavenger pirates came into view of another ship, however, they thought nothing of it, and continued on their path. Kida was down in the lowest parts of the ship, gathering all the hidden gold that she had stolen when she heard shouts and yells from above. Instinctively, she hid behind a few of the barrels as she had been taught to do just in the knick of time, as nearly 20 men bustled downstairs to steal their gold. 'We're...we're being raided? But by who? Why?' A small gasp escaped her mouth as one in particular stood above her, a hat upon his head. He couldn't have been more then 17 years old. He looked down directly at her, although she couldn't see his face, she knew he saw her. Without a word, he followed the rest of the crew back up to the deck._

_Silence. After a few minutes, what seemed like hours to her, she slowly crawled back up the stairs and to the deck. Shock overtook her. The crew, everyone, was either dead or fatally injured. Tears running down her face, she ran to the captain and Kori. "Cap! Kori!"_

_Kori had been dead for awhile, then. The captain looked up at her, his head bleeding along with his chest and stomach. "Kid...you're okay..." She hugged him tightly, sobbing. "Shhh...you have to...be quiet. I have to tell you something important, Kida." She looked up at him, the fire that was eating away at the deck reflecting in her dark eyes. He smiled. "I never told you...how much you look like your mother. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, little one...my daughter."_

_She stopped moving, staring at the dying eyes of her captain, her father, until his breathing stopped. "Papa..."_

-----

She gasped slightly as she was being shaken back and forth. "Nova! What do you think you're doing!" She yelped, trying to shove the other girl off of her.

"You were daydreaming again!" Kida sighed an apology as she leaned back in her chair, taking a sip of her drink. "What is it that you always think about, Kida? You never tell me."

She sighed, looking down at the floor. "Nothing but nightmares, Nova. Just nightmares." The worried expression on her friend's face not changing her mind, she took a bite of some food. "Nova, do you remember the day that you first met me?"

"Of course I do, Kida. You looked like a skeleton when we found your ship, what was left of it, anyways. Then the captain took you in. Why do you ask?"

"Hard to believe that it's been 11 years already, isn't it?"

"Kida, come on, what is going on? First you're sitting there, talking about going out and getting drunk with that guy, then you space out, and now you're talking about the day that we first met. It's starting to get me antsy."

She shook her head slightly, sighing. "Sorry, Nova. I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's fine, and there's no way I'm letting you go drinking all by yourself with a bunch of hooligans. I'll come with you tonight."

"Thanks, Nov."

-----

That night, after hours and after many competitions of Kida and Shanks' drinking, which, although Kida refused to admit it, Shanks had defeated her multiple times. They walked down the empty streets, the roar of the pub still loud enough to wake the dead, although Nova had gone home nearly an hour and a half before. Kida and Shanks walked side by side, her arms crossed after a harsh wind blew past. She shivered and her teeth chattered.

"You cold, love?"

Kida nodded slowly to the captain's question, and came close to blushing when he took his cloak from around his shoulders and set it upon hers. She smiled up at him and buttoned it together, holding it around her like a blanket. It wasn't long before they came to the beach, the ocean's waves crashing on the shore. She sat upon the ground and stared out at the glistening sea as he sat beside her. "Pretty decent view, isn't it?"

A small smile laid on her lips. "Yes, it's beautiful."

"So tell me about yourself, Kida. Where are you from?"

She blinked up at him about the sudden question, but answered him truthfully. "I-I don't really know for sure when I was born. My mother died when I was about two years old, and I lived on pirate ships the rest of my life." He raised his eyebrow at the last piece of information, unsure how to reply to that.

"A pirate's life, eh? Must've been hard on a kid."

A tear fell from her eye as she clutched her legs to her chest, staring out at the rippled water she had known her whole life. "It was." Shanks swore to himself about obviously bringing up a touchy subject. 'Great, mate. One question and you successfully upset her.'

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to upset you." He pulled her to his chest in a light hug, and she blinked, feeling her hands and arms against his chest. After a few moments, she looked up into his eyes, and he down to hers. She could feel his breath upon her lips as his own grew closer.

At the last moment, she pulled away slightly. He blinked a few times and let her go, turning back to face the ocean. "Sorry..." They sat in silence for a moment, Kida unmoving from her position. Smiling, she took her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him to her, planting a kiss directly on his lips. He was shocked for a moment, but grinned as he wrapped an arm around her waist, gently returning the gesture.


	2. Chapter 2

-1"Going out again?"

Kida jumped as she turned, her shirt halfway on, as she faced her best friend. "Yeah, Shanks wanted to give me a tour of his ship. Why do you ask?" She knew very well why Nova was asking. Kida hadn't exactly been spending a lot of time at home, in fact, she was normally only there to get changed, get a shower in, and sleep.

"You know why I'm asking, Kida." Her friend stood straight from leaning on the doorway and stepped over to the small white-haired girl. Kida was about to protest when she saw the worry in her friend's eyes. She stopped immediately. "I'm worried about you, kid. You know what pirates are like, you know what they want."

"Do I, Nov? Please, elaborate what all pirates want." She muttered, turning around and slipping her shirt the rest of the way on, pulling her hair out from underneath the fabric.

"Gold and a free piece of tail."

Kida spun around, her arms crossed over her chest. "Look, Nova, I appreciate your concern, but Shanks isn't like that. And you would know that if you would take up my offer to come out with us some night." She shook her head. "I'm not an idiot. And I'm not a free bang whenever some yahoo that calls himself a pirate comes to call. I'm an adult, and if I want to go out and have a million kids to a million different guys, then I will." She paused, looking down at the hardwood floor, her back still to Nova. "Me mum died when I was still a baby, Nova…" She spun around with hate in her eyes. "But I don't need another one."

Nova stood for a moment, staring into the eyes of her best friend for as long as she could remember. Without a word, she turned out of the room and silently closed the door behind her.

-----

Shanks lied on his back, staring up at the different-colored sky. The dark reds, purples, and yellows that seemed to combine the setting sun and the rippling ocean beneath it. Without warning, his mind floated back to Kida. She was such a strange girl, such a beautiful girl. A rare find for these parts, he assumed. A little voice added, 'a rare girl to any parts.' He had to agree.

And it wasn't just her body that he found so intriguing (although he had to admit, it was a nice addition.) Her personality was boundless. She was sweet, but a little spicy. But there was something that just drew him to her. Shanks couldn't put his finger on it, but she made him feel like a teenager again. He had been with younger women before, even some that were 19 years old, and none did that to him. Another mystery surrounding the small girl that had put a spell on his mind.

He snapped back to reality when he heard someone coming up behind him. Looking up, he saw two thin legs, a high cut shirt which he knew hid two nicely rounded breasts, and a smiling face. "Well 'ello there." He smirked, grabbing the belt of her pants and pulling her down on top of him.

Kida laughed as she adjusted her body over his and laid a few kisses on his smirking lips. He smiled and accidentally found his eyes drifting down her shirt, which had puffed up a little bit. Shanks didn't see much, as Kida never wore shirts that would show very much if she bent over. She climbed off him and stood, patting his chest. "Come on, you, I was promised a tour of someone's pirate ship." Shanks smiled and obliged.

-----

She leaned over the railing of the ship, staring out into the dark blue water, an arm wrapped loosely around her small waist. Kida smiled as she leaned against the lean but muscular body of the captain, watching the moon dance on the night ocean as ripples ran through it. "You're really lucky, Shanks…to have a ship like this."

He rested his chin on top of her head, massaging his fingers into her hip. "Why do you say that, love?"

"You never have to stay in one place. It's a freedom." She explained, closing her eyes as the heat from his body heated her cold skin, her shivers slowly stopping. The sound of his voice was so soothing, all of his strength to be used for her protection.

They weren't sure how long they had stood there, taking in the smell of each other and the sea. Kida took a long yawn as she felt her body starting to go limp. The captain took notice and kissed her forehead. "Come on, love. Time to get some sleep." He gently guided her from the deck into the men's quarters. Passing by his sleeping mates, he opened a door for her. The captain's quarters.

-----

Kida laid back on the mattress of his bed, his white shirt going down a little ways past her bottom as she lay half curled on her side. The sheet was spread lazily around her as she watched him getting ready. He had changed his pants into a looser, more comfortable pair. Pulling his shirt off, he exposed his muscular back before turning towards her, showing his scars. For a moment, he grew concerned that she might feel awkward with seeing his lack-of an arm, but he saw her sleepy smile and crawled in with her.

She rested her head on his shoulder, her hand running over the lumps and smoothness of his chest and stomach. One of her favorite things about a pirate was his scars, although she didn't know why, and lucky for her, Shanks was full of them. No wonder he was so well-known. Looking up into his dark brown eyes, she gently touched her lips to his, smiling as the small kiss ended and her head found it's pillow on his shoulder again. He breathed deeply, trying to slow his heart as he looked down at the drowsy woman. She looked gorgeous in that shirt of his, and the look of innocence that crossed her face as sleep started to take over her mind. It wasn't long until she was gone, and his heart slowed as he grew more and more tired. Reaching over to the table beside his bed, he grabbed the burning wick of the candle as the flame quickly died.

He listened to her breathing as long as he could, until a blanket of darkness covered his mind. They stayed curled up in each other's arms for the rest of the night, and the better part of the next morning.


	3. Chapter 3

-1Slowly, a pair of tired eyes slit open, the sunlight bright as it shown through the small round window. A smile slowly crossed her face as she looked down at the sleeping captain. She must've woken him up slightly with the movement of her head from his chest, since the loud, open-mouthed snoring had temporarily ceased, and was now replaced by a closed-mouthed, innocent sleep. Her smile widened as she leaned down a bit and laid a small kiss on his sleeping lips.

Sneakily, she crawled out of the bed when his loud snoring had started up again. Luckily for her, snoring had never really bothered her. In fact, she normally slept better if she heard some kind of snoring, courtesy of living on a pirate ship almost all of her life. Her feet slapped the warm wood as she padded over to the window, looking up at the sun. It must have been late morning, since the orb was nearly in the middle of the sky. Glancing back at her sleeping Shanks, and found herself not having the heart to wake him. Instead, she decided to take a look at the cabin, which she had been a little too tired last night to have noticed.

The entire room was made up of a dark cherry wood, which almost glowed gold in the bright sunlight. A desk and comfortable looking chair shoved off in one of the far corners. The bed lay off to the right side of the room, a small chest which she assumed carried his clothing. She noticed a few books laying on his desk, and decided to take a look. In her mind, she doubted that he would care if she looked at a few books, considering he was making a point to tell her of all his sea worthy adventures. Sitting in the chair, she flipped through a few pages of his captain's log. There was nothing too exciting in the pages she had glanced over, so she looked up, seeing a few pictures. The Nova in her mind had half expected to see a picture of him and his wife, surrounded by many little red haired children. But she saw none that held anything like that, instead, there was a picture of him and his current crew. Then him and a little boy.

There was something familiar in the pictures that she simply couldn't place. That was, until she got to the last picture.

It had to have been many years old, due to the folds and worn out color. A crew of older men, most of them holding a bottle of half empty mugs of grog in a cheers. Towards the right, she spotted a scary looking clown-boy, maybe a few years younger then she. She shivered slightly, not having been a fan of clowns. But it was the person next to the clown that made her heart stop. It was her own Captain Shanks, years and years ago, his gangly body slung over the clown-boy's shoulders and a straw hat propped on top of his unruly red hair. Without warning, she suddenly realized what was so familiar about the man. It had been he who stood over her cowering, ten year old body. It had been he who had seen her, then left, only to kill the remaining of her family. She took the picture off the wall.

She started shaking, turning around to see the awake captain sitting up in his bed, looking over at her. Her eyes said it all. She was greatly upset, angry, and almost on the verge of tears. He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but the words wouldn't come out of his open mouth, so he merely closed it again. Kida's voice shook as badly as her body was as she managed out, "It…It was you."

When she saw the confused look on his face, she threw the picture on the bed in front of him, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "IT WAS YOU!" Sobs escaping her mouth, she ran out of the cabin without another word. Needless to say, he was intensely confused, until he looked at the picture. Looking at one of the bags filled with gold, he saw a pirate emblem.

It hit him like a tidal wave as memories rushed over him. The small pirate ship, his very first raid. His captain had ordered him to go to the lower levels of the ship to find any gold these pirates may have been holding. The other captain had pleaded with them not to go down there, but Shanks had simply assumed that it was just the fact that he wanted to keep his gold. However, as soon as he got down the many stairs, he had realized something was behind a few of the barrels. He figured it was merely rats, but went over to check and make sure.

He had never expected something like this. A small girl, probably only around nine or ten years old, holding her knees to her chest as she stared up at him. Now he knew why the Captain didn't want the other pirates down here. It wasn't because of the gold at all, it was because of her. He felt his heart drop as her sad, terrified blue eyes hit his. He had to make a decision. With the thumping of bodies hitting the deck above, he knew very well that he couldn't stop the raid. His head snapped back as one of the men called to him, though not by name. Without a word about the girl, he turned and ran back upstairs, following the excited shouts of finding the devil fruit on board.

He stared at the door that she had left through, not hearing the shouts of concern from the crew members as she made her way off the ship. Amazed with himself, he could hardly believe that he hadn't recognized those eyes, that hair. True, her hair was longer now, her body had matured into a woman's, and those eyes had probably seen more hardships then he could even imagine. With how often he had thought about that little girl, though…he was still shocked he hadn't realized it. He always wondered what it would have been like if he had taken her with him, or if she had never been found and died somewhere in the ocean, a slower and more painful death because he had said nothing. Never had he told his crew about it, nor did he ever show any worry over it. But sometimes at night while he sat writing in his captain's log, he often found his mind wandering back to her.

For a moment, Shanks felt like an idiot. He had always imagined this little girl, despite the fact that almost 11 years had gone by. Never once had he thought that she would grow up to be the woman of his dreams. He covered his face with his hand as he leaned forward on his knees. Frankly, he doubted she would want to speak with him again.

-----

Nova made a face as she looked out of the window of her living room. Dark, smothering clouds had blocked out the bright sunlight that had proven to be a wonderful light to read to. As lightning struck, she reached over and lit the candles on the table next to her, resuming her reading for a short while.

She blinked when she heard a knock at the door, not having expected anyone since Kida was out and mad at her, and the fact that it was pouring rain outside. Setting the book down, she stood slowly out of the super comfortable chair and stepped over to the door.

The lightning struck as the door opened, the wet, matted hair sticking to Kida's face as she looked up at her best friend, the lightning dancing in her blue eyes. Although it was raining, Nova could instantly tell that those were tears running down her face, not raindrops. They stood there for a moment, staring at each other as a silent apology was given to Nova. As the girl wrapped her arms around her rain-soaked friend, Kida knew instantly that her apology had be taken.

Without a word, they walked into the house, as Kida proceeded to tell Nova everything.

-----

The days passed long and slow. Shanks knew he had to apologize, and he had been trying continuously to see Kida. But Nova kept telling him the same thing over and over again. "Kida doesn't want to see you, Shanks. I think it would be best if you just left her alone." And each time, Shanks would tell her that it wasn't going to happen, and left a message for Kida.

-----

Nova stepped into Kida's room, seeing her best friend sitting on the side of her bed, looking at an old picture that she hadn't seen in years. It was a five year old Kida sitting on the leg of her dad, though she hadn't known it at the time. Through the years, it was probably the only thing that Kida always made a point to keep, never getting rid of it. Nova took a seat beside her, looking at the old picture, the smiling man holding his only child. "You look happy."

"I was."

Nova frowned as she shook her head. "Kida, you can't keep going like this. I understand that you're mad, hell, who wouldn't be? But look…things have changed."

"He killed my family, Nov."

"Did he now? Your mom died from a fever, Kid. I mean, did it ever even occur to you that he saved your life?"

Kida blinked, looking up at her friend with a kind of unsure look, as if asking if she were crazy.

Nova leaned back, looking up at the ceiling as she laid her thoughts out to her friend. "Think about it, Kid. What would have happened if he had let the others know about you? They would've slaved you out, honey. Or even better, they would have killed you with the other lot." She looked over at her friend as this thought sunk in. "It would have been harder if you had known that the Captain was your dad, Kiddo. At least you didn't have to go through the same thing that you did with your mom." She looked over, wrapping her arm around the shoulders of the small girl. "He's a good guy, Kida. And I think he really does love you."

Kida bit her lip as she heard another knock come from downstairs. Standing, she left Nova in her room as she slowly made her way down, her heart beating loudly in her head. She crossed the living room and opened the door, seeing a tall, red haired man standing before her, reeking of alcohol. "Shanks?" She blinked as he passed out, landing in her arms as she shook her head. "Jeez. Finally hit the passing-out point."

-----

Shanks groaned as the pounding feeling of a hangover struck his head like a drum. He wondered how long he had been out…better yet, how much he had had to drink. His hand slid to his forehead as all he could remember was finally seeing Kida, but that was it. 'Great, I probably made an ass outta meself.' he groaned in his mind, preparing to go apologize. That was, until he felt a warmth beneath him. In fact, the mattress below him kept moving up and down, as though it was breathing. He blinked as he realized that his mattress was really the body of the one he so desired, his pillow her upper chest.

She slept soundly after a long night of making sure he was alright. Plus there were the times when he woke up and had to get rid of some of the alcohol. Needless to say, she was exhausted, and really hadn't noticed when he had decided that she was much more comfortable then the bed itself. He blinked and found himself laying a kiss on her cheek and her eyes slowly opened. "Shanks?"

"Yeah, love?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into it. "I don't hate you." He blinked a few times before smiling, wrapping his arm around her and holding the small body close to his, kissing the top of her head. Before long, they had both fallen back to sleep, willingly in each other's arms.

Nova smiled as she shook her head, letting her hand fall from the doorknob of Kida's room and slowly making her way back down to the living room, leaving the two lovebirds to their rest. "Nova's logic proves correct again."


	4. Chapter 4

Kida stretched, smiling as she looked over the rather short buildings of the small village that she called her own, seeing the tall masts of Shanks' ship. The wind lightly puffed in her face, a hint of sea salt in the air. Her smile grew wider as she looked over at Nova, who was leaning boredly against one of the pillars outside of one of the nicer restaurants.

"They're not here yet, Kid. Can we please just go?"

The fun-loving girl smiled at her friend, crossing her arms. "Well, let me think…absolutely not. I've spent two months trying to get you to come hang out with Shanks and me, and I'm not letting you back out tonight."

Nova frowned, looking over at the brightly colored sunset. "Kid, come on, this is so stupid…I'm just going to be a third wheel!"

"Actually, you're not." Kida turned and smiled brightly as a flash of red hair struck her eyes, a bright smile that matched that suave voice. Rushing over to him, Kida leapt into his arm and kissed him deeply. "Hi love," he smiled before looking over at Nova. "Like I said, you won't exactly be a third wheel tonight. Nova, I'd like to introduce Ben Beckman. Ben, this is Kid's best mate, Nova."

A tall, mostly black-haired pirate stood before them, nodding slightly to Nova as he approached, a cigarette lazily hanging from his lips. Kida felt a heated glare coming from her friend, but chose to ignore it. After all, Nova should have suspected something when Kida told her to dress up. As Ben bent down to kiss Nova's hand, Kida whispered softly to Shanks. "Hi."

He smiled that characteristic smile, his hand coiling around her waist. "Hello there."

Oh it was going to be an interesting night to say the least. A very interesting night.

------

The night went relatively smoothly, at least in Kida's eyes. Unfortunately, Nova didn't seem too interested in Ben, and it seemed that Ben was in the same boat. A little disappointed, neither Kida nor Shanks let it dampen their spirits, or loosen their lips to their drinks. However, they did cut the date a bit shorter then usual, well, at least they went their separate ways for a short while.

Kida leaned against Shanks, her shoes in one hand, her other around him as her toes dug into the cool sand. Breathing in the scents of her personal Captain and the scent of the sea, she rested her head against his shoulder as the walked over the neighboring beach. "I just don't understand why that didn't work. They seemed so perfect for each other…"

Shanks nodded slowly, as his thoughts had been circling that same area. The plan, after all, was that if Nova was in a relationship, maybe she'd open up a bit more to Shanks and the other pirates. True, she had helped them recover their relationship, but she was still a bit iffy about Kida spending so much time with him. "I know love, but at least he offered to walk her home."

She shook her head. "But that could have just been to be polite." Shanks knew that too, and he grew silent as he held her a little closer.

------

Nova did not mention Ben after that, and Kida decided not to press the matter, as she couldn't really see Nova getting along with any of Shanks' other crewmates. But why had they not clicked as she had expected? They seemed so perfect for each other…

But then again, since when was Kida such a relationship expert? She had had more then her fair share of relationships, and the only one she could really see working out was with Shanks. In fact, their dates seemed to happen almost every night, and she usually spent the night over on his ship. Thankfully, Shanks was a gentleman, and would not attempt to take things to the more physical level until she was ready.

------

A few days after the group date, Shanks strode down the empty streets with Kida in tow. He still found it amusing that the nights seemed to end so early around this town, everyone all seemed to go to bed at the same time. Shanks, looking down at Kida, who smiled back to him, realized that someday he would maybe want that too. The sea was in his blood, and it called to him, but he couldn't be a pirate forever. A little piece of him wanted to settle down, get a home, have children. Someday. Perhaps someday.

Kida looked up at the house before her and shook her head, seeing a light still on in Nova's bedroom. "I told her not to wait up." As they walked a little closer, Kida reached for the door and jumped a bit as it spun without her grabbing it. A giggling, and slightly messy looking, Nova stumbled out, along with a half dressed Ben. Kida and Shanks stood dumbfounded as their friends blushed profusely, Nova asking Kida what they were doing back so early.

An almost identical smirk crossed over Kida and Shanks' lips.

"Kida, don't you look at me like that! I'm older then you, and I don't need to inform you about everything going on in my li-Hey! Where are you two going?! Get back here! I'm not done talking to you!!" Nova shouted behind them, shaking her fists as the two turned, heading back towards the ship. Ben stood silently as Nova freaked, shouting after them.

------

Throughout the next day, Kida couldn't help but look smug about their little discovery. Very annoying to Nova. That night, as Kid was getting dressed, Nova was in her doorway. "Are you ever going to stop holding this against me?"

"Nope" was the proud reply, Kida hoisting her hair up. Nova frowned, sitting on the edge of the white haired girl's bed.

"I don't see why not, Kid. I mean, you've been with Shanks…"

Silence followed, the younger girl looking intently at her hair before starting on her makeup.

Nova blinked, looking at her in surprise. Somewhere outside, an argument was going on about some neighbor's kid rushing in front of a moving cart. "I mean, you HAVE been…with him…right?"

"If you're referring to THAT that, Nova, then the answer is no, we haven't."

Nova looked stunned until there was a knock at the door. "Really now? That's just so unlike...well, both of you!"

Kida nodded to the mirror, adjusting her shirt, which she had recently bought. "Yep, we haven't taken things that far." Her eyebrow raised as she glanced back at Nova. "Unlike some people I know."

"Kida-!" Nova shouted before hearing the door below being knocked on once again. Assuming it was Shanks, Kida rushed downstairs to answer, Nova nimbly following behind. She didn't exactly want to see their usual greeting for each other.

As she walked over to answer it, Ben walked past her with a hello, giving a light hug, looking over at Kida. "So, Kida, how did you take the news?"

Kida blinked, holding her hair behind her head as she had been attempting to put it up. "Hello Ben. Wait, what news?"

"We're shipping out in three days."

Kida stood there, looking completely dumbstruck. "You-You are?" As Ben nodded, Nova's good mood slipped away as she saw her friend's face fall. Without another word, she walked out the door, closing it silently behind her. Nova knew where she was going, but she had hoped that Shanks would have told her instead of Ben. Well...why the hell HAD he not told Kid yet??

------

Shanks was standing by his ship when he saw Kida come into view. God, what a beautiful sight she was. He began to approach with a hearty smile, until he saw her expression. 'Whoa, someone's very mad...' "Hello love..." was all he managed out before a hand met his face harshly.

He held a hand up to his cheek where he had been slapped. "What? What was that for?"

"You're shipping out in three days, are you??"

He sighed, holding out his hand to her. "Ben told you that, did he? Darling..." He frowned, lightly tugging her hand over to him. "Come with me. I want to show you something."

When she said nothing in return, she did follow him. Into the ship, past the kitchen and the sleeping mates, he lead her onto the deck of the ship. He was still downcast that she said nothing, the ocean still swaying against the wooden boards, lulling his crew to sleep. As he pulled her lightly, he leaned back against the mast of the ship, preparing inside to be shoved overboard. A woman's scorn. "Darling, will you come with me?"

This was not the response that Kida had been expecting. She figured it was going to be some sort of a 'I'm a pirate, you're not, I'll come back when I come back' sort of thing. But wow, an invitation to come along? Totally unexpected. "Wait, what?"

His slight smile reappeared. "Will you come along with us?"

"But Shanks..." She looked over at the small town, even though his hand squeezed hers. She wanted to go, he desperately wanted her to come along. "What about Nova?"

"I'm sure Ben will ask her, but if he doesn't, you're more then welcome to invite her along." But would she come along? Nova had never truly showed any interest in ever becoming a pirate again. "Darling, I love you, you know I do. You've said more then once that you would like to rejoin the sea, and I want that to be with me." Looking around, he gently slipped his hand around her waist. She looked so lovely when she was flushed, and even better when she was flushed in the moonlight. "Please come with me."

Her heart ached as she tried to come up with reasons not to come. She couldn't, other then Nova. "Shanks..." As she looked into those deep brown eyes, she knew her heart was gone. "I love you."

He smiled, thinking that her answer would immediately be yes. Pulling him close, she rested her forehead against his strong chest. "But I can't leave Nova behind. I will tell you by tomorrow night, okay?"

His heart faltered a little, but his smile was still planted on his face. "Okay, love. Tomorrow night. But until then, let's just enjoy tonight, hm?"

Neither was sure how long they stood there, swaying slightly with the ship as the ocean softly rocked them, holding each other tightly, as if afraid the other would disappear.


	5. Chapter 5

Kida awoke the next morning with the feeling of dread in the bottom of her stomach. The night before, she and Shanks had decided that it would be better if they spent the night apart. She had a lot of thinking to do, and a lot of big decisions to make. It was a lot of pressure, and the dread in her stomach grew until she felt that she would be sick. Just as she laid back down in bed, Nova slowly opened her bedroom door, closing it softly behind her. "Kida? Are you awake, sweetie?"

"Yeah, I'm awake."

Nova tilted her head at the fact that Kida was still in bed, and slowly made her way across the room, sitting on the side of her bed. "I have to talk to you about something, Kida. Ben, well, he asked me to go with them when the ship sails." Kida looked up to her. "And I told him I would."

Kida closed her eyes and sighed deeply, sitting up slightly. "Nova, you hate that lifestyle. You hated it when I first met you, you've hated it since we came here. What makes you think this is a good move?"

Nova smiled slightly down at her friend before setting her hand on top of her white hair. "Kida, let me tell you something. There are some points in life where you just know what your next step is as soon as it presents itself. Maybe it doesn't make sense, and maybe it means going down a road that you never thought you'd go down again, but you know that it's the right step for you." Nova looked down at the slightly distant face of her friend. "Shanks asked you to go too, didn't he?"

"Of course he did."

"And you're not sure that it's the right step."

Kida sighed and flopped back against her bed. "Of course I'm not! I mean, the past two months have been amazing. But what if that's all this is gonna be? Why didn't he tell me they were planning on shipping out? Didn't he want me to come with? Was I just going to walk to the shore and find nothing there?" Kida sighed, shaking her head. "I can't just make a decision on the spot with that hanging over my head."

Nova frowned as she looked down at her best friend. Of course, she didn't want to leave her alone like this but, what could she possibly say that would make the situation any better? Nothing that Kida said was wrong, and if Ben had done something like that to her, she doubted that she would have so willingly and immediately agreed. After a few minutes of silence, Nova sighed. "I have to go start packing, sweetie. Take as much time as you need."

Kida said nothing as she watched her friend get off of her bed, walk across the room and close the door gingerly behind her.

* * *

Despite the fact that she told Shanks that she'd tell him the next day, soon it was the day before the ship was to set sail and she still didn't have an answer. As a precaution, she had packed a few things since it was getting close to crunch time.

Soon it was nightfall, and Kida wasn't too surprised when she heard a knock at the door. Reluctantly, she opened it to find an exhausted looking Shanks behind it. Of course, she hadn't spoken to him in days, and it looked to be about that long since he had gotten a good night's sleep. Admittedly, the evil bitchy side of her, that every woman has, felt that he deserved it. She looked into his brown eyes and immediately felt guilt building up in her heart. "I'm sorry, I should have come."

"Yes. You really should have." he mumbled, rubbing his red eyes with the palm of his hand. After a moment of silence, both of them looking at the other intently, before he broke it. "Look, I have something to show you."

After a moment's debate and looking into his sad eyes, Kida nodded slowly. "Alright."

It was a relatively quiet walk through town towards the docks, Kida not sure what exactly Shanks had in mind. He kept looking at her, like he wanted to say something, but he kept thinking better of it and keeping his mouth shut. Eventually, he chimed in with a nicety. "So it seems that Nova is making herself quite at home on the ship." he smiled slightly, looking to her and immediately cursing himself. _Of course, old mate, let's bring up the fact that if she doesn't come, her best friend is gone for who knows how long. Great idea. Next, why don't we bring up the fact that you almost killed her a decade ago and just top the cake right now?_

Kida kept her eyes on the dirt road, nodding slightly. "Yeah, she's a pretty resilient person. Plus I'm sure Ben is making her life a lot easier."

Shanks wasn't entirely sure how to reply to that so he opted not to, instead, holding out his hand to the rope ladder that hung from the deck of the ship. She made her way to the top and Shanks followed suit. It seemed the crew was out, probably racking up a bill at the pub, enjoying their last night on land for what could be months. Kida had no doubt that Ben and Nova were on the beach in that private little spot that Kida had actually found a few years ago with a young sailor.

It was strange, the ship being so quiet, the water being so gentle. She took a deep breath and smiled, looking over the ship and the ocean. Shanks opened the door to the lower levels and nodded to one side. "Come on, it's down here."

Kida thought it was strange as she was led past the beds of the crew, wondering what exactly Shanks had in mind. Well, she had a suspicion she knew what was on his mind and unfortunately for him, it wasn't going to convince her to go with him. Her eyebrow raised slightly as he reached for the door handle to his quarters and looked back to her. "Are you ready, love?"

She nodded slightly as he opened the door, allowing her to step in.

As she stepped in, Kida was overwhelmed. His bed had been moved, a clearing had been made. Rare, exotic flowers coated the room, a table was set in the middle for an intimate, candlelit dinner. She sighed, looking up at him. "Shanks, this is so beautiful."

She watched as a smile crept over his face as the possibility of her still turning him away vanished. He bowed slightly, holding his hand out. "After you."

After a long dinner, Kida sipped at the wine that Shanks had poured as she met his glance. "What's on your mind, Cap?"

"You know I've been planning this for a few weeks."

She looked around at the dozens of flowers that surrounded them. "Hm, yeah I think I could have guessed that."

He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger before setting his hand down on the table. "I was going to ask you to come with me tonight. Ben, well, he wanted to give Nova more time to think it over then I thought you were going to need. I knew you wanted to start sailing again, and I know you care about me. I guess I just figured-" before he could finish, he was interrupted by soft violin music. They both looked around as it played, before Shanks finally laughed awkwardly. "Well, my dear, would you like to dance?"

She smiled and stood up with him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tightly against him. They swayed slowly to the soft music, neither one of them speaking. Kida laid her head against the side of his neck, and he tried to swallow the lump in his throat, squeezing her a little tighter.

After a few minutes, Kida looked up into his eyes, seeing all the love that he felt for her. She reached up and ran her fingers through his long red hair as he leaned down and kissed her abruptly. Pulling away, they looked into each other's eyes before his returned to her lips, leaning down and kissing her deeply.

Through the passionate kissing, Shanks lifted her to his waist and smiled as he felt her legs wrap around him. He cupped her bottom with his hand, walking over to the bed he had moved and dropped on top of her, deepening the kisses. Kida let go of his neck and began unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it down his back and tossing it to the floor, feeling his hand crawl up her back, pulling up her shirt. As he tossed it aside, Kida laid back against the bed and smiled up at him with what could only be described as bedroom eyes. Shanks felt his heart melt a little.

Knowing it would be hard for him, she gently reached down and wiggled free of her pants, looking shyly up at him as he looked her over, a slow, loving smile lingering over his face. He gently kissed from her forehead to her lips before whispering "I love you, Kida."

"I love you too, Shanks."

* * *

Shanks laid on his back, gently running his fingertips over her bare back as she rested her head on his chest, simply enjoying each other. She looked up into his eyes, gently kissing his chin while his eyes remained closed. "Shanks?"

"Hmn?"

She sighed, holding tightly onto him as she looked ashamed. "I'm sorry I ruined your surprise."

Slowly, his eyes opened as he looked down to her, raising his eyebrow. "My love. Let me ask you something. Did you enjoy this? The dinner, the dance, the, erm, aftermath?"

She smiled. "Of course I did."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Then you didn't ruin anything."

After about twenty minutes, they fell asleep in each other's arms, rocking slowly with the waves against the ship, as if the sea were cradling them together.

* * *

Morning came too soon as his brown eyes were greeted with sunshine from the window of his room, the flowers looking brighter and more beautiful in the sunlight and adding some much needed color. Stretching, he rolled over onto his back and looked to the side of the bed that she had occupied, now empty. He let out a long sigh before standing, slowly pulling on his pants and stepping out into the bunks of his crew, running into Lucky Roux. "Rookie, have you seen Kida?"

The fat crew member looked up at his captain and nodded. "Of course, I saw her as I was eating breakfast. She left probably an hour ago."

Lucky seemed to wish he could take back the news as his captain looked stricken, closing his eyes. "I-I'm sure she's just getting something to eat or something, sir. Please don't worry, I'm sure she'll be back before we ship."

It was almost sun down as Shanks leaned against the side rail of the ship, looking out towards the horizon as he had all day. He hadn't really spoken, the crew had packed up without any direction, knowing that it was better to just go ahead and do it then interrupt him. Ben had not spoken with him, and Nova just seemed sad that her friend had decided not to go and, worse, not to even say goodbye.

Eventually, it was getting to be too late, dusk was setting in and Yasopp finally decided to break the ice. He walked slowly over to his captain and set his hand on his shoulder. "Sir, if we're going to set sail today, it's going to be too late if we wait much longer."

Shanks looked to Yasopp as though he had just woken him up before looking back towards the sunset. "No, no you're right. Make ready to set sail, men."

"I'm not going to be able to lift this up the rope by myself, you know!"

Shanks' eyes widened as he turned, walking to the other side of the ship and looking down at the dock, seeing a flash of white hair and a big smile, a large trunk sitting next to her. "Kida?"

She didn't have a chance to speak before Shanks jumped off the side of the ship and landed on the dock, grabbing onto her and kissing her deeply as the crew, including Nova, applauded from above. Slowly he broke the kiss and smiled at her. "I knew you couldn't resist."

"And apparently forgot that I needed to pack, I assume?"

Shanks nodded slightly and smiled before leaning down, picking up her trunk and tossing it with ease up to one of the crew members, Kida climbing up the ladder.

Boots landing on the deck, Shanks wrapped his arm around his woman and smiled. "Alright, mates, as you can obviously see, we got some new members to the crew. Kida, Nova, welcome to the Red-Haired Pirates."

"YARR!" the men shouted with grins.

Shanks' forehead wrinkled as he looked over his men. "Oy! What the hell'ya all starin' at? We got a ship to sail!"


End file.
